Google ready to flee from ‘evil’ China

Internet giant Google, the world's most powerful brand, is logging out of China, the world's largest Internet market, saying it is no longer willing to abide by the Chinese government's repressive censorship rules.

The search engine major that has come to be synonymous with innovation in the Internet age announced its stunning decision in a take-it-or-leave-it blog post by chief legal officer David Drummond in which he also revealed details of a "highly sophisticated" cyberattack on the company's Chinese website (Google.cn) aimed at e-mail accounts of human rights activists.

"We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn," Drummond noted. "And so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognise that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China."

Given the Chinese government's pathological aversion to an uncensored Internet, Google's exit from China appears inevitable. And although some analysts see this as an attempt by Google to claim the high moral ground after decisively losing the battle for marketshare to Chinese rival Baidu, it's nevertheless being celebrated as a defining moment for corporate social responsibility.

"Google's response sets a great example," Arvind Ganesan, Business and Human Rights project director at Human Rights Watch, told DNA. "Even if you take a cynical view that they're walking away because they weren't gaining market share, they made an internal decision that human rights are more important than market share."

"Google's resolve to avoid complicity with flagrant violations of freedom of expression and association deserves praise," Ganesan added.

Within hours of Google's announcement, the office of its China headquarters in Beijing received offerings of floral bouquets from young Chinese advocates of freedom of expression. "Liberal-minded Chinese people fully support Google," celebrated Chinese political blogger and journalist Zhao Jing (better known as Michael Anti) told DNA. "This action ties in with the company's philosophy: 'Don't Be Evil'."

Across China, even before Google acknowledged it had  begun 'unfiltering' online content, Netizens claimed that hitherto-blocked sites, including those advocating a 'Free Tibet', were accessible. Tibetan activist Lhadon Tethong rejoiced in Google's action. "As a Tibetan witnessing the insanity of the world's engagement with China, it's hard to believe when someone does the right thing," she said. "News as meaningful as this doesn't come often."

Ganesan of Human Rights Watch says that Google's action is also symptomatic of the kind of pressures that China will increasingly face if it persists with its repressive policies. "China is today the world's second or the third largest economy. It's inevitable that the conduct of its government and Chinese companies will be scrutinised." 

The real test, he adds, is "what it says of China when one of the world's leading companies feels too constrained to operate in the country at precisely the time when China wants to be a leading economy and a leader in technology and business and development..."